


Undying Assurance

by DoeEyedBrat



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apparently this made someone cry, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Established Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, and theyre still not over it, bless, whatever floats your jearmin boat tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 23:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12444372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoeEyedBrat/pseuds/DoeEyedBrat
Summary: Armin reflects on the growth of his relationship with Jean moments before imminent death.Inspired from Episode 37 of the anime.





	Undying Assurance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ponderosa16](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponderosa16/gifts).



> This was requested by a lovely friend of mine. Please check out their [Ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponderosa16/pseuds/ponderosa16) and [Tumblr](https://eren--gayger.tumblr.com/), especially if you're an Ereri or a multishipper; they post great quality stuff.
> 
> You can also read this on my own [Tumblr](http://dallyingdivergent.tumblr.com/post/162868217292/from-berry-jearmin-14) ^_^
> 
> *claps* Anyway, so yeah, I had to write this. The fact that Armin held an unconscious Jean and tried to protect him even when it was likely he was going to die along with him struck me real hard, and this lil' drabble of mine is honestly self-indulging on my part hahaha. Enjoy!
> 
> Written for the prompt ask:  
> 14\. ““Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.””

“Jean!” Armin warned too late. He watched in horror as Jean got hit—falling off of his steed as a result—by the debris left from the impact created by the Titan’s huge form crashing onto the ground near them, his body rolling onto the bloody, steaming grass until he was eventually sprawled on it.

Armin screamed Jean’s name once more, frantically leaping off of his horse and heading in the direction of his friend’s unmoving body.

“Are you okay?” panted the blonde, worry transparent all over his features, as he knelt by Jean’s side. Having expected at least a feeble response, Armin was instead met with silence. It caused his anxiety to increase tenfold, the familiar tremors coursing through his body. “Hold it together!” He shouted, wrapping his arms carefully around Jean while being mindful of his head injury. His heart hammered in his chest when he glimpsed a Titan—the one that had been thrown by Reiner to land in front of them—advancing in their direction.

Again, there was no reply from Jean.

Even with his gear on, Armin’s brain was riddled with the thin chance of survival. He noted the sparseness of the trees along with the vast number of Titans around them, and pathetically concluded that he couldn’t save himself…couldn’t save Jean….

Despite being confronted by so much of this devastating hell, he still lacked in the physical ability highly required of him as a soldier. It didn’t mean that he couldn’t do something about it, however.

Holding Jean close with one arm, Armin pulled out his blade and summoned whatever remaining strength he had left to haul Jean and himself as far away from the Titan as he could manage. He pulled, dragging Jean’s heavy weight along the grass, until his back pressed up against a tree. His body shielded Jean from the wood, while Jean’s body shielded him from the Titan—for a split second, Armin was disgusted with himself.

It was then that all of the fear that the boy tried to repress for the past two days came off of him in waves, a face stricken with the purest of terror along with the ear-splitting screeches coming from his mouth. It was almost like the time when he had witnessed the ghastly sight of a severely injured Eren cut off from his vision due to the snap of that damned Titan’s jaws.

The only difference between that horrific moment and now…was that he himself was about to get eaten, without any powers, and without anyone to save him this time.

Still…he wasn’t just gonna sit and stare like he’d done during that one fateful time. ‘Protect Jean’ He kept repeating to himself; his grip on his unconscious friend couldn’t possibly be any more crushing.

The blonde waved his sword in an attempt to ward off the Titan who happened to be only inches away. As it got closer, his pulse quickened, and he involuntarily held Jean tighter, continuing to scream his throat raw. He mustered up the strength to move once more despite his aching muscles and dragged Jean and himself away from the tree before the Titan could grab them.

From his new position, he could revel in the comforting view of Eren and Mikasa, uneaten, and currently kneeling on the grass facing each other. He swung his arm, the one with the sword, completely to the right and waved up and down in what was meant to be a bittersweet farewell. Luckily, he was able to grab Eren’s attention, for they both exchanged a momentary glance before Eren redirected his eyes back to Mikasa.

Ah, so this was how it was going to end. Armin was saddened by the thought of dying without being by Eren and Mikasa’s side…but it was better than not having them within his sight at all, and for that he was eternally grateful.

Besides…he wasn’t going to die alone….

Releasing a shaky breath, Armin turned to rest his chin above Jean’s sweaty and spiky hair, smelled the scent of blood mixed with a faint musk. He gave in to the impulse of pressing his nose against the top of Jean’s head; his eyes began to shine with unshed tears. ‘Protect Jean,’ he said to himself once more.

If there was any person other than his two best friends that Armin didn’t expect to honorably die with, it was Jean. The one whom he became unlikely friends with. The one whose viewpoints, though somewhat different from his own, had given way to a mutual respect he hadn’t felt with other soldiers aside from Eren and Mikasa. The one whom he was glad to call a trusted comrade, stemmed from their grown faith and the firm belief that their combined skills in rationality could fare even in the event of a crisis.

It was then that Armin realized, in the heat of battle, how much he and Jean had clicked. He was still utterly amazed at how their relationship had considerably changed over the past month, which led him to believe that there was value in sharing ties with a sharp but considerate person such as Jean. That he was certain of. The panic coursing through Armin’s body wouldn’t cease, but deep down he could feel a sliver of acceptance, and he warmly welcomed it.

“A-Armin….”

Armin’s eyes bulged out at the sound of that weak voice. Jean looked like he was trying to escape from a nightmare. The Titan was within arm’s length now, and he didn’t want Jean to open his eyes only to see its gaping maw, didn’t want him to wake up only to encounter death…

“Shhh…” Armin shushed gently, letting go of his blade to use his freed hand to stroke Jean’s hair, the undercut tickling his fingers. The Titan was already lifting a hand in preparation to seize them, but Armin paid it no mind. Instead, he focused on soothing the boy in his arms. “You did great today, Jean. You’ve grown so much…I’ve seen that already…” At this, Armin’s tears sprung free and were now falling down his cheeks. “I’m incredibly proud to have fought by your side. Now all you need to do is rest.”

Even with this sort of encouragement, Jean’s brows were still scrunched up in distress. Armin opted to say more, but he changed his mind and decided to settle for one sentence.

“Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.” He added, putting on a sad smile. His last words were simple, but they held great depth. The Titan’s palm came to rest at their left, its fingers curling to clutch them within its grasp….

 

* * *

 

Armin placed his quill down on his writing desk just in time to hear someone knocking on the door. “Come in.” When the door opened to reveal Jean, still recovering from his wounds, Armin wasn’t really surprised. It had been a day since Eren had unleashed his mysterious power and saved every living Survey Corps member by having some sort of collective telepathic control over the Titans’ actions. During that discovery, Armin had wasted no time getting two horses and bringing Jean, and later Eren and Mikasa, to safety. He had also been relieved that there were 0 casualties on their way back to headquarters. Once they’d gotten there, Armin had immediately taken Jean to the medical room and assisted the healer in tending to his injuries.

The blonde stood up from his chair to face the boy in question and offered him a reassuring smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better now, I guess.” Jean mumbled mostly to himself. Armin chuckled a bit. “I suppose you didn’t come here just after your healer informed you of my additional aid, correct?”

Jean huffed, “Sharp as always, but that’s only part of it. There’s another reason for why I’m here.”

For a while, the two strategists stared at each other in silence, the lingering question in the air between them waiting to be snatched. Of course, it was Jean who volunteered.

“Why?”

“Why, what?”

“Why…did you choose to stay with me until the end? You could have saved yourself, but you didn’t. Eren can attest to that…So, why?” Jean’s voice almost sounded broken.

Armin cast his eyes down for a moment. ‘Why?’ he asked. Wasn’t it clear already? For someone who didn’t like to beat around the bush, Jean was acting pretty unusual around him for some reason.

He darted his eyes back to Jean’s face and said without skipping a beat, “It’s because you’re someone important to me.”

Jean visibly tensed up at the bold statement. For a moment, Armin could swear that Jean was wearing the face he usually intended for…a certain freckled boy. He didn’t know how to feel about that. All he knew now was that he had affected Jean in some way or another.

He hoped he could have more interactions like that with Jean in the future.

Jean broke the spell by stepping closer and proceeding to give Armin a hug, to which the blonde gladly returned. “Th-thank you,” Jean muttered, “For always being there for me.” Against his shoulder, Armin could only smile once again. “Come on, let’s go meet Eren and Mikasa outside.”


End file.
